Buffing mechanism for railway-cars.



1L-D. GALLAGHER, JB. BUFPING MEGHANISM POB RAILWAY GARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1909.

Patented 061;a 4, 1910.

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R. D. GALLAGHER, JB. BUFFING MBGHANISM FOR RAILWAY GARS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 25, 1909.

Patented Oct. 4 1910.

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lUNllllE@ STATES' PATENT @lllhtllnl RICHARD D. GALLAGHER, JR., OF NEVI YORK, N. Y., ASSIG-NOR TO STANDARD COUPLER COMPANYL OE NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY.

BUFEING IVIECHANISM FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. at, 1910.

Application filed May 25, 1909. Serial No. 498,321.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L Riot-IARD D. GALLA- GHER, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Butling Mechanism for Railway-Gars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to bufling mechanism for railway cars, and more especially to railway passenger cars in which the buffer is adapted to conform to the movements of the coperating buffer so as to maintain their parallelism while the cars are rounding curves.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simple, streitig` and highly efficient mechanism in, which the outward movements of the buffer will be limited while permitting of a wide range of angular movement with respect to the car body.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for supporting' and ret-aining the buffer springs and cooperating parts which means shall also serve as a strengthening means between the buffer beam and end sill of the car. y

Referring to the accompanying drawings; Figure l is a top plan view of a portion of the framing of one end of a passenger car, partly in section, embodying features of construction relating to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line Q-Q Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line lf-4 of Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views.

The letter A indicates the end sill of a car which may be of any preferred construction, B the buffer beam and C the buffer beam extension. The buffer beam extension is preferably of malleable iron. It is secured to the front face of the buffer beam and provided with bearings at the center and sides, respectively, for the center and side stems of the buffing mechanism. As illustrated, sills D of I-beam construction eXtend longitudinally of the car beneath the end sill and buffer beam, although any preferred or well known platform and car frame timbers or sills may be employed. Y

Between the end sill A and buffer beam B there are arranged, in accordance with the present invention, three housings, preferably separate from each other and each formed in halves with an internal chamber or compartment for the reception of the buffer springs and associated parts. These housings are indicated by the reference letters E and F and, as shown, they are preferably of such length as to abut at their ends against the proximate faces of the end sill and buffer beam, whereby the latter parts are rigidly supported one by the other, thereby greatly strengthening the structure. By forming the housings in integral halves longitudinally any one or more of them may be readily opened by removing the connecting bolts f so as to give access to the buffer springs. etc. ln practice, the said housings may be conveniently supported directly on the upper faces of the I-beams or longitudinal sills of the car by means of flanges c, best seen in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

As will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the inner face of the buffer beam is provided with an angle-iron Gr, the lower flange of which forms practically a continuation of the lower wall of the under half of the housings. The said housings abut against the angle iron, as best seen in Fig. l, although, as will be readily understood, it may be entirely omitted.

The center stem H is pivot-ally connected by a T-head 71, with the center of the buffer l and passes rearwardly through the buffer beam extension and buffer beam. Its rear end is connected by a bolt 7c with a follower or spring socket K working in the front end of the center housing and adapted by contact with the rear of the buffer beam to limit the outward movement of the center stem and buffer without limiting its capacity to swing horizontally about the end of the center stem so as to accommodate itself to the movements of the car bodies in rounding curves.

Located within the central housing E in rear of the spring follower or socket K are a pair of buffer springs, one lettered L, being a relatively light spring well adapted to absorb light strains and to permit the buffer to retreat under relatively light pressure until coupling is elfected, and the other lettered L being a relatively heavy spring adapted to absorb the main shocks and ars after the coupling is elfected. To separate the springs and limit the closing movement of the same a follower M is interposed between the springs, said follower having stems m within the springs, which stems serve as stops when the springs are driven baclr until substantially closed.

The arrangement of the side stems N is somewhat differentfrom that of the center stem in that they are free and under constant tension of light springs tending to force the buffer outwardly beyond the limit permitted by the center stem but, being located on opposite sides of center stem counter-balance each other and each becomes effective in forcing the buffer outwardly only when the opposite side stem is pushed inward against the greater resistance of other springs. Each side stem is, at its inner end, provided with shoulders which coperate with spring followers when the stein is pushed inwardly but the said stems are free to move outwardly and the shoulders move out of engagement with the spring followers in succession.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, it will be seen that each side stem is provided with shoulders fn, adapted to eng'age the spring follower O and with shoulders a adapted to engage the spring followerl O. Relatively light springs 0 and 0, respectively, cooperate with the spring followers O and O, both of said springs abutting against an intermediate follower P and between said follower and the rear end of the housing there is located a relatively heavy spring P. All of said springs are preferably capable of long expansion so as to effectually maintain the pressure on the bulfer throughout a wide range of movement.

lilith the buffer in its normal position, the followers O rest against the front ends of the barrels or rear of the buffer beam, the portions of the latter adjacent the stems, thus constituting stops which limit. the outward movement of the followers O and eX- pansion of the outer side stem springs 0 but the stems may continue to move outwardly and the inner springs o and springs P acting through the follower O will still continue to exert outward pressure. At their forward ends, the side stems N may also be connected with the inner face of the bull-er as by project-ions N coperating with sockets in a casting N2 on the inner face of the buier.

In operation, outward movement of the buffe-r at the center is limited 'by the centerY stem, but outward movement of the ends of the buffer is limited only by the Arange of angular deflection possible before the ends of the buffer contact with the butler beam or buffer beam extension, the necessary movement of the ends of the side stems with relation to the buffer being made possible by elongating the sockets in the casing N2, as shown by the dotted lines N3 in F ig. l of the drawings. ln order to permit of the ready removal of the buil'er without talring down or separating the housings or spring barrels, the bolt L may be removed through the openings c, after which the buffer, together with its three attached stems, may be drawn out or away from the end of the car, leaving all the remaining parts of the apparatus in position ready for the reception of the buffer stems when they are again returned to their places.

The relatively light springs not only serve to keep the buffers of adjacent cars in contact, but they permit of an easy resilient movement of the bui'fer to the point of coupling after which yielding resistance to further movement is greatly augmented by the action of the relatively heavy springs.

rl`he buffer beam extension C and the casting N2 will form ultimate stops for limiting inward movement of the butler and will, by their engagement, prevent disastrous deformat-ion of any of the lighter parts when subjected to excessive bulfmg strains.

It will be observed that when the parts are in normal position, as shown in F ig. l, the buffer will stand at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the car' and the inner side stem springs 0 alone eXert outward pressure on the side stems as the followers O of the outer springs are limited in their outward movement by contact with the buffer beam. Under these conditions the inner spring 0 on one side cannot push that end of the buer out because such movement is resisted by both the inner spring 0 and the outer spring o on the opposite side and, hence, angular movement of the buer can only take place when the resistance is overcome by inward movement of that end of the buffer. This arrangement causes the buffer to stand at right angles to the longitudinal aXis of the car even though the side springs do not exactly balance each other because the outer springs and their followers O being' limited in their outward movement are only effective to resist inward movement from the normal position of the buffer. rlhey resist any pivotal movement of the buffer away from its normal position at right angles to the center stem and, hence, even though the springs on one side are longer or stronger than those on the other the buffer will still be held in proper normal position and at the same time the inner springs will be under constant tension so as to take up any slack or looseness between the parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a buiiing mechanism, the combination with the buffer beam and end sill, ot the substantially cylindrical buii'er spring barrel formed in longitudinal sections and with the ends abutting the beam and sill respectively, supporting flanges integral with said barrel, a spring coniined in the barrel, a buiier and a stem for advancing the buiier extending through the beam and into the front end of the barrel to cooperate with the spring.

2. In a buiiing mechanism the combination with the butler beam and end sill, and angle iron in rear of and resting against the beam, of the independent substantially cylindrical butter spring barrels formed in longitudinal sections and with their ends abutting the end sill and angle iron on the beam whereby the beam is reinforced, transversely extending supporting flanges inte gral with said barrels, springs confined in the barrels, a buiier, stems for advancing the buffer passing through the beam and into the front ends of the barrels, and followers interposed between the stems and springs.

3. ln a butling mechanism, the combination with the buii'er beam, butler, center stem and side stems, oit iiidepemlentv springs igor advancing the center and side stems, a stop for limiting the outward movement oi' the y center stem, stops `iter limiting the outward expansion of one of the side stem springs on each side when the buffer is at right angles to the axis of the car, and other springs cooperating with the side stems and tending to move them outward after the expansion of the first-mentioned side stem springs has been arrested.

ll. In a buiiing mechanism, the combination with the buffer beam, buffer, center stem pivotally connected with the buffer and means tor limiting the outward movement of the center stem and center of the buiier, of the side stems cooperating with the buil'er on opposite sides of the center stem, two springs cooperating with each side stem for resisting inward movementof the ends ot the buii'er and stops for limiting the outward expansion of one only of the springs cooperating with cach side stem when the buiiler is in normal position at right angles to the aXis of the car whereby inward movement of each end of the buffer is resisted by both springs and one spring normally tends to move the buffer outwardly.

5. In a butling mechanism, the combination with the buiier, center stem on which the butler is pivotally mounted and means for limiting the outward movement of the center stem and center of the buffer, of side stems pivotally connected with the ends of the buffer, springs cooperating with said side stems and normally under compression tending to push the ends of the buif'er beyond its normal position at right angles to the center stem, and other side stem springs cooperating with the side. stems to resist inward movement, with stops ior lin'iiting the expansion of said last mentioned springs when the butter is in normal position and at right angles to the center stem.

RICHARD D. GALLAGHER, Je.

Titnesses GEORGE D. THOMPSON, HEINRICH SoriNnLLnR. 

